David Beckham has been recalled to England’s squad for their forthcoming matches against Brazil and Estonia.
Beckham’s international career looked to be over when he was dropped by England coach Steve McClaren following last year’s World Cup, but the Real Madrid midfielder has earned a surprise return after impressing for his club in recent weeks.
The 32-year-old former England captain is likely to win his 95th cap in his country’s friendly against Brazil at Wembley on Friday. McClaren’s team then travel to Estonia for a crucial Euro 2008 qualifier on June 6.
That Estonia clash was uppermost in McClaren’s thoughts as he decided to bring back Beckham. England must win in Tallinn if they are to keep alive their hopes of reaching the Euro 2008 finals, and McClaren knows his job could depend on the result.
”We’ve got a very big game coming up,” McClaren said. ”We need to win and I have to pick a squad capable of doing that. That’s why I’ve included David. I’ve looked at David over recent months and since Christmas his form has been very good. I think he can help us win against Estonia.
”As time has gone on, I felt we needed experience for the Estonia game. David provides that and he’s in very good form. The team needs that. It is my decision and it is the decision I think is best for England to produce a winning team that the fans can be proud of.”
It is 288 days since McClaren marked his arrival as England manager by dumping Beckham in an attempt to distance himself from the reign of his predecessor Sven Goran Eriksson, to whom he was assistant.
The move was widely praised at the time as Beckham had consistently failed to influence matches at the World Cup and European Championships.
When Beckham announced in January that he had agreed to join American Major League Soccer team LA Galaxy at the end of the season, it seemed he was calling time on his career as a top-level player.
But McClaren’s increasingly desperate bid to get England’s Euro 2008 qualifying campaign back on track has led the beleaguered boss to swallow his pride and turn to Beckham.
Whether Beckham will stay in the squad once he leaves Real Madrid remains to be seen, and McClaren said: ”That’s in the future; we’ve got to win in the short term, and concentrate on the next 10 days. David comes as David Beckham the player, that’s what we want. We want him on the field doing what we know David can do.
”He was absolutely delighted as I knew he would be. He’s been a total professional and he’s coming into form at the right time.”
Beckham’s presence overshadowed Michael Owen’s return to the squad for the first time in almost a year. The Newcastle striker has finally recovered from a knee injury, suffered during the World Cup in Germany, that kept him out for nearly the whole season.
Owen played in England’s ”B” international against Albania on Friday and David Bentley and Reading’s Nicky Shorey, who also impressed in that 3-1 victory, have been rewarded with first call-ups.
Joe Cole is also back after injury, but Tottenham winger Aaron Lennon is likely to have to withdraw from the squad after suffering a knee injury against Albania.
There is no place for Preston’s David Nugent, who scored in England’s last match against Andorra. Ashley Cole, Gary Neville, Andrew Johnson, Micah Richards, Owen Hargreaves and Ben Foster are all sidelined through injury, while Wayne Rooney is suspended. — Sapa-AFP